Sports glove

ABSTRACT

A sports glove, such as a lacrosse glove or a hockey glove, for a player or other wearer. The sports glove comprises a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer&#39;s hand, a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer&#39;s hand, a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer&#39;s hand, and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer&#39;s hand. The thumb portion further comprises a cavity to receive the wearer&#39;s thumb, a protective frame disposed within the cavity and comprising a plurality of sections pivotable relative to one another in response to the wearer&#39;s thumb flexing and a pivot between adjacent ones of the sections of the protective frame and unexposed to the wearer&#39;s thumb when the wearer&#39;s thumb is received in the cavity of the thumb portion.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to sports gloves and, in particular, to sports gloves for lacrosse, hockey, and/or other sports.

BACKGROUND

Protective sports gloves, as used in many sports such as lacrosse and hockey amongst others, are designed for protecting a wearer's hands, notably protecting them from impacts or other contact which could otherwise cause pain or injury.

Certain sports gloves, such as those which may be used by lacrosse goalkeepers (i.e., goalies) or hockey players, may provide additional protection in their thumb portion to further protect a wearer's thumb, which may, for instance, be more exposed to impacts and/or hyperextension. For example, a sports glove's thumb portion may sometimes include a protective frame of rigid plastic or other material. While this may help to better protect the wearer's thumb, in some cases, this may adversely affect mobility of the wearer's thumb (e.g., for gripping or otherwise handling a lacrosse or hockey stick). Furthermore, the protective frame of the glove's thumb portion may provide less than optimal protection in some situations.

For these and/or other reasons, there is a need for improvements directed to sports gloves.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand, a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand, a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand, and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb and a protective frame disposed within the cavity and configured to engage the wearer's thumb.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand, a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand, a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand, and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb and a protective frame disposed within the cavity, wherein the sports glove further comprises an internal lining for contacting the wearer's hand, the internal lining comprising an opening leading to the cavity of the thumb portion and configured to allow the wearer's thumb to pass in the opening to be received in the cavity.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand, a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand, a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand, and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb and a protective frame disposed within the cavity and comprising a plurality of sections pivotable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing, and a pivot between adjacent ones of the sections of the protective frame and unexposed to the wearer's thumb when the wearer's thumb is received in the cavity of the thumb portion.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand, a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand, a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand, and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising a protective frame comprising, a plurality of sections pivotable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing, and a pivot between a first one of the sections of the protective frame and a second one of the sections of the protective frame, the pivot comprising a pin integrally formed with the first one of the sections of the protective frame.

These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 are respective back, side and front views of a sports glove in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respective back and front views of a wearer's hand;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional side view of a thumb portion of a sports glove comprising a protective frame in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B is the view of FIG. 6A wherein the protective frame encloses a thumb;

FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional side view of the protective frame of FIG. 6B in isolation;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a non-limiting embodiment of a protective frame in an unflexed position; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the embodiment of the protective frame of FIG. 7 in a flexed position.

It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an example of a sports glove 10 for protecting a wearer's hand 11 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the glove 10 is a lacrosse glove and the wearer is a lacrosse player playing lacrosse. More particularly, in this embodiment, the glove 10 is a lacrosse goalie glove and the lacrosse player is a lacrosse goalie (i.e., goalkeeper) defending a lacrosse goal.

The glove 10 comprises a hand covering 12 for protecting the wearer's hand 11. As further discussed later, the glove 10 provides enhanced protection to a thumb 60 of the wearer while maintaining mobility of the wearer's thumb 60, which may help to grip or otherwise handle a lacrosse stick used by the wearer. Notably, in this embodiment, the glove 10 provides additional protection to the wearer's thumb 60 against impacts (e.g., from another player's lacrosse stick, a lacrosse ball, etc.) and against hyperextension upon a collision or physical play where contact with the wearer's hand 11 is made.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the hand covering 12 comprises a palm portion 16 for overlying a palm 17 of the wearer's hand 11, a back portion 18 for protecting a back 19 of the wearer's hand 11, finger portions 20 ₁-20 ₄ for protecting fingers 40 ₁-40 ₄ (namely an index finger, a middle finger, a third finger, and a little finger) of the wearer's hand 11, and a thumb portion 22 for protecting the wearer's thumb 60. Each of the wearer's fingers 40 ₁-40 ₄ has a palm surface 41, a dorsal surface 42, a lateral surface 43, a medial surface 44, a proximal articulation 46, a proximal phalanx 47, a middle articulation 48, a middle phalanx 49, a distal articulation 50, and a distal phalanx 51. Similarly, the wearer's thumb 60 comprises a metacarpal section 64, a middle articulation 65, a proximal phalanx 66, a distal articulation 67, and a distal phalanx 68. The wearer's thumb 60 further comprises a palmar surface 61, defined by the surface of the wearer's thumb extending from a tip 69 of the distal phalanx 68 towards the palm 17 of the hand 11, and a dorsal surface 62, defined by the surface of the wearer's thumb extending from the tip 69 of the distal phalanx 68 towards the back 19 of the hand 11. A lateral side 54 of the wearer's hand 11 has a C-shaped edge 56 extending between the thumb 60 and the index finger 40 ₁.

The hand covering 12 is padded to protect the wearer's hand 11. That is, the hand covering 12 comprises protective padding. More particularly, in this embodiment, the protective padding comprises protective padding 26 _(B) in the back portion 18, protective padding 26 _(F) in a back side of each of the finger portions 20 ₁-20 ₄, and protective padding 26 _(T) in a back side of the thumb portion 22 (collectively referred to as the “protective padding 26”). In this example, each of the protective padding 26 _(B), the protective padding 26 _(F), and the protective padding 26 _(T) includes a plurality of pad members 34 that are movable relative to one another to facilitate flexion of the wearer's hand, including flexion of each of the wearer's fingers and thumb. Flex lines 45 (e.g., seams) extend between respective ones of the pad members 34 to facilitate flexion of the glove 10.

The protective padding 26 may comprise any suitable impact-absorbing material. For example, in this embodiment, the protective padding 26 comprises foam. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the foam may be ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam (e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, polyurethane foam, or any other suitable foam. Also, in some embodiment, the protective padding 26 may comprise a gel.

In addition to the protective padding 26, in this embodiment, the hand covering 12 comprises an internal lining and an outer cover between which the protective padding 26 is disposed. More particularly, in this embodiment, the internal lining comprises an internal lining 32 _(B) in the back portion 18, an internal lining 32 _(F) (not shown) in each of the finger portions 20, and an internal lining 32 _(T) in the thumb portion 22 (collectively referred to as the “internal lining 32”). With reference to FIG. 6B, the internal lining 32 _(B) in the back portion 18 comprises an opening 24 leading to a cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22 configured to allow the wearer's thumb 60 to pass in the opening 24. In this way, the wearer's thumb 60 is received in the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22. In certain embodiments, the internal lining 32 may comprise a plurality of layers through which the opening 24 extends.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the internal lining 32 _(B) may extend partially into the thumb portion 22 opposite the internal lining 32 _(T) in a thickness direction 96 (see FIG. 6B) of the thumb portion 22 to provide an additional layer of padding on a palmar side 31 of the thumb portion 22. In this embodiment, the thickness direction 96 is the direction normal to a plane defined by a thumbnail of the thumb 60 when the thumb 60 is received in the cavity 70.

In this embodiment, the internal lining 32 in the hand covering 12 may comprise a woven fabric material. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the fabric material of the internal lining 32 may comprise a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, synthetic microfibers, a synthetic woven knit, a polyurethane laminate, or any other suitable fabric. In some cases, the fabric material of the internal lining 32 may include only one type of fabric. In other cases, the fabric material of the internal lining may include different types of fabric in different areas of the hand covering 12. In another embodiment (not shown), the internal lining may comprise a plurality of layers wherein a first one of the layers of the internal lining is a base and a second one of the layers of the internal lining is a liner disposed over the base to contact the wearer's hand 11. For example, the liner may comprise a fabric such as any other suitable fabric. Similarly, the base may comprise any other suitable foam. In other embodiments, either or both of the base and the liner may comprise materials other than fabric or foam.

The outer cover comprises a back outer cover 36 _(B) in the back portion 18, a finger outer cover 36 _(F) in each of the finger portions 20, and a thumb outer cover 36 _(T) in the thumb portion 22 (collectively referred to as the “outer cover 36”). The back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) are disposed between pad members 34 of the protective padding 26 and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) comprise elastic non-foam polymeric material. For instance, in some cases, the elastic non-foam polymeric material of the back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) may comprise polyurethane or spandex. The back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) may comprise an elastic material with a modulus of elasticity in some cases of at least 10,000 psi, in some cases at least 50,000 psi, or in some cases at least 100,000 psi. Other values and ranges for the modulus of elasticity of the back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) are possible. The back outer cover 36 _(B) and finger outer covers 36 _(F) may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

The palm portion 16 of the hand covering 12 may comprise any suitable material. For instance, in some embodiments, the palm portion 16 may comprise leather (e.g., natural or synthetic leather), suede (e.g., natural or synthetic suede), mesh, and/or any other suitable material.

The hand covering 12 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments (e.g., may comprise any suitable materials arranged in any suitable manner).

The thumb portion 22 of the glove 10 comprises the cavity 70 to receive the wearer's thumb 60 and provides protection to the wearer's thumb 60. To that end, in this embodiment, in addition to comprising the protective padding 26 _(T), the thumb portion 22 comprises a protective frame 72 to protect the wearer's thumb 60 disposed within the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22 between the internal lining 32 _(T) and the thumb outer cover 36 _(T). The protective frame 72, which may also be referred to as a skeleton or rigid insert of the thumb portion 22, is a rigid protector to protect the wearer's thumb 60. Notably, in this embodiment, in addition to providing protection to the wearer's thumb 60 against impacts (e.g., from a lacrosse stick, lacrosse ball, or other object), as further discussed later, the protective frame 72 is configured to protect the wearer's thumb 60 against hyperextension (e.g., when impacting or otherwise contacting a stick, another player, etc.). The protective frame 72 is “rigid” in that it is more rigid than the thumb outer cover 36 _(T). In particular, the protective frame 72 may comprise a rigid material having a thickness sufficient to protect the wearer's thumb 60 against injuries resulting from blows or other impacts. For instance, the rigid material of the protective frame 72 may comprise in some cases a thermoplastic, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or in some cases, a plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or any other suitable material. In certain embodiments, the protective frame 72 comprises a rigid material having a modulus of elasticity in some cases of at least 150,000 psi, in some cases at least 400,000 psi, or in some cases at least 600,000 psi. The protective frame 72 further comprises a rigid material having a hardness in some cases of at least Shore 40D, in some cases at least Shore 60D, or in some cases at least Shore 80D. Other values and ranges for the modulus of elasticity and the hardness of the protective frame 72 are possible.

The thumb outer cover 36 _(T) is disposed over the protective frame 72 and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the thumb outer cover 36 _(T) comprises elastic and flexible non-foam polymeric material. For instance, in some cases, the elastic and flexible non-foam polymeric material of the thumb outer cover 36 _(T) may comprise polyurethane or spandex. The thumb outer cover 36 _(T) may comprise an elastic material with a modulus of elasticity which in some cases may be at least 10,000 psi, in some cases at least 50,000 psi, or in some cases at least 100,000 psi. Other values and ranges for the modulus of elasticity of the thumb outer cover 36 _(T) are possible. Moreover, the thumb outer cover 36 _(T) may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

FIGS. 6C, 7 and 8 illustrate the protective frame 72 shown in FIG. 6A without the thumb outer cover 36 _(T) or internal linings 32 _(T), 32 _(B). The protective frame 72 comprises a plurality of sections covering at least partially the dorsal surface 62 of the wearer's thumb 60. In some embodiments, the protective frame 72 may comprise two sections. In other embodiments, the protective frame 72 may comprise three sections. In yet other embodiments, the protective frame 72 may comprise more than three sections.

For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the protective frame 72 comprises a first section 80 for overlying a distal phalanx 68 of the wearer's thumb 60 and a second section 82 for overlying a proximal phalanx 66 of the wearer's thumb 60. In certain embodiments, the first and second sections 80, 82 may additionally extend laterally on either side of the thumb 60 to at least partially cover and protect one or both of the lateral sides of the thumb 60. In this example, the protective frame 72 further comprises a third section 84 overlying the metacarpal section 64 of the wearer's hand 11.

In certain non-limiting embodiments, adjacent ones of the sections may be pivotally connected and movable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb 60 flexing. This may allow for increased mobility of the thumb 60 and therefore improved movement when handling a lacrosse stick or other sport implement. To this end, pivots may be used to interconnect adjacent pairs of sections from among the plurality of sections 80, 82 and 84. In this example, the three sections 80, 82 and 84 are interconnected by a first pivot 81 and a second pivot 83, which allow relative movement during flexion of the thumb 60. Specifically, in this example, the first pivot 81 connects the first and second sections 80 and 82 such that the first section 80 is movable relative to the second section 82 between a first extended position (shown in FIG. 7), and a second bent position (shown in FIG. 8). Coupling of the first and second sections 80 and 82 via the first pivot 81 occurs at a point on the protective frame 72 which approximately overlies the thumb's distal articulation 67 when the thumb is engaged in the protective frame. The second pivot 83 connects the second and third sections 82 and 84 such that the second section 82 is movable relative to the third section 84 between a first extended position and a second bent position. Coupling of the second and third sections 82 and 84 via the second pivot 83 occurs at a point on the protective frame 72 which approximately overlies the thumb's middle articulation 65. In certain embodiments, adjacent coupled sections of the protective frame 72 may partially overlap such that during inward bending of the thumb, when one coupled section is caused to move relative to another, the dorsal surface 62 of the thumb 60 may remain unexposed and/or protected from impact. In some embodiments, additional pivots may be provided, which may allow the thumb 60 to bend further inwardly to further facilitate handling of the lacrosse stick or other sport implement.

Each of the pivots 81, 83 may be created by a respective pin or plurality of pins. Such pins may be disposed on approximately opposite lateral ends of sections 80, 82 and 84. Notably, in this embodiment, pivot 81 comprises first pins 92 and pivot 83 comprises second pins 94. One or more of the pins 92 and 94 may be integrally formed with one or more of the sections 80, 82 and 84. The pins 92, 94 may be configured in an outwardly direction extending from an inner surface of the sections 80, 82 and 84 to an outer surface of the first section 80, 82 and 84, thus allowing them to be unexposed to the wearer's thumb 60 when the wearer's thumb 60 is received in the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22. In this example, the pins 92 and 94 may be integrally formed with the second section 82. In another embodiment, the first pins 92 may be integrally formed with the first section 80, and the second pins 94 may be integrally formed with the third section 84.

The fact that the wearer's thumb 60 is not exposed to the pins 92 and 94 in the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22 may have the potential to increase comfort. Similarly, the fact that the internal lining 32 _(T) is not exposed to pins 92 and 94 in the cavity 70 may prevent wear of the internal lining 32 _(T) due to friction caused by relative displacement of the internal lining 32 _(T) and the pins 92 and 94 during usage.

In some embodiments, the first pins 92 and the second pins 94 may be molded with the second section 82. For example, the pins may be injection molded with one or more of the sections 80, 82 and 84. In other embodiments, the pins 92, 94 may be press fitted into one or more of the sections 80, 82 and 84. In yet other embodiments, the pins 92, 94 may be 3D-printed with one or more of the sections 80, 82 and 84. In yet still other embodiments, one or more of the pins 92, 94 and one or more of sections 80, 82 and 84 may be machined as one piece. In other embodiments, the pins 92, 94 may be implemented in other ways. Also, in other embodiments, adjacent ones of the sections 80, 82, 84 may be coupled by pivots that do not employ pins.

In this embodiment, the protective frame 72 further comprises a first stopper 75 and a second stopper 76 to restrict movement of the sections 80, 82 and 84 relative to one another. This may protect against hyperextension of the wearer's thumb 60. In this example, the first stopper 75 comprises a first underhanging portion 85 on a distal end 98 of the second section 82 which underlies at least partially an inner surface 87 of a proximal end 90 of the first section 80. Similarly, the second stopper 76 comprises a second underhanging portion 86 on a proximal end 99 of the second section 82 which underlies at least partially an inner surface 91 of a distal end 93 of the third section 84. The first underhanging portion 85 of the first stopper 75 comprises an outer surface 77. During extension of the thumb 60, the outer surface 77 makes contact with the inner surface 87 of the proximal end 90 of the first section 80, thereby limiting the range of motion of the first section 80. Similarly, the second underhanging portion 86 of the second stopper 76 comprises an outer surface 78. During extension of the thumb 60, the outer surface 78 makes contact with the inner surface 91 of the distal end 93 of the third section 84, thereby limiting the range of motion of the second section 82. The underhanging portions 85 and 86 provide a surface against which the inner surfaces of the first and third sections 80 and 84 will interact during extension of the thumb 60, thus limiting the range of motion of the first and second sections 80 and 82 and preventing hyperextension of the wearer's thumb 60. It should be appreciated that limiting the range of motion of the first and second sections 80, 82 as described above may prevent hyperextension of the thumb 60.

Over the dorsal surface 62 of the thumb 60, the first section 80 may follow a profile that goes from a level above the dorsal surface 62 of the distal phalanx 68 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22 to at least a level of a dorsal surface 62 of the wearer's thumb 60 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22 when the wearer's thumb 60 is unflexed. In other instances, the first section 80 may extend across the tip 69 of the distal phalanx 68 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22 when the wearer's thumb 60 is unflexed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first section 80 may also be configured as an enclosure to at least partially surround the distal phalanx 68 of the thumb 60. In this example, the first section 80 curves around the tip 69 of the distal phalanx 68 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22, thereby at least partially covering and providing protection to the palmar surface 61 of the distal phalanx 68. In doing so, the protective frame 72 creates an enclosure 97 configured to contain at least partially the distal phalanx 68. The enclosure 97 has an opening into which the wearer's thumb 60 is inserted after passing through the opening 24 in the internal lining 32 _(T).

As shown in FIG. 6C, the first section 80 may comprise an upper part 88 configured to be disposed above the distal phalanx 68 and lower part 89 configured to be disposed below the tip 69 of the distal phalanx 68. The lower part 89 may extend to face the palmar surface 61 of the distal phalanx 68. In some embodiments, the lower part 89 may have a dimension D₁ in a longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22 which occupies, in some cases at least 5%, in other cases at least 10%, or in still other cases at least 15%, of a dimension D₂ of the protective frame 72 in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22. In other embodiments, the lower part 89 may have the dimension D₁ in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22 which occupies, in some cases at least 20%, in other cases at least 30%, and in some other cases at least 40%, of the dimension D₃ of the first section 80 of the protective frame 72 in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22. In some embodiments, the lower part 89 may have the dimension D₁ in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22 being in some cases at least 5 mm, in other cases at least 10 mm, and in still other cases at least 15 mm. Other values and ranges for the dimension D₁ in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion 22 are possible.

The protective frame 72 may extend over at least a majority of a dimension of the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22, this majority being in some cases at least two-thirds, and in other cases at least three-quarters. This ratio (i.e. the quotient of the dimension of the cavity 70 occupied by the protective frame 72 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22 divided by the dimension of the cavity 70 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22) may have any other suitable values in other embodiments.

The ratio of (i) a distance between the protective frame 72 and the wearer's thumb 60 when the wearer's thumb 60 is received in the cavity 70 of the thumb portion 22 and is unflexed to (ii) the dimension of the cavity 70 occupied by the protective frame 72 in the thickness direction 96 of the thumb portion 22 may be, in some cases, no more than 10%, in some cases, no more than 20%, and in still other cases, no more than 30%. This ratio may have any other suitable values in other embodiments.

The lower part 89 of the first section 80 may face the palmar surface 61 of the thumb 60 thereby allowing engagement of the protective frame 72 by the thumb 60 and relative movement between the sections during flexion of the wearer's hand 11 and the pressing of the wearer's thumb 60 against the protective frame 72. As shown in FIG. 6B, configuring the protective frame 72 to contain at least partially the distal phalanx 68 additionally reduces a distance D₄ in the thickness direction 96 between an axis 150 of the thumb's distal articulation 67 and an axis 160 of the first pivot 81. This may facilitate flexion of the wearer's thumb 60, thus providing a less restrictive glove 10. The extension of the first section 80 onto the palmar surface 61 of the distal phalanx 68 may further allow for increased protection of the distal phalanx 68.

The glove 10, including the thumb portion 22 and its protective frame 72, may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

Optionally, the glove 10 additionally comprises a cuff 100 which extends rearwardly from the hand covering 12 to overly the wearer's wrist 13. In this example, the cuff 100 also overlies a distal region of a forearm 15 of the wearer adjacent to the wearer's wrist 13.

In this embodiment, the cuff 100 comprises protective padding 102 to protect the wearer's wrist 13 and forearm 15. The protective padding 102 may comprise any suitable impact-absorbing material. For example, in this embodiment, the protective padding 102 comprises foam. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the foam may be ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam (e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, polyurethane foam, or any other suitable foam. In other embodiments, the protective padding 102 may comprise material other than foam.

Also, in this example, the cuff 100 comprises an inner liner 104 and an outer cover 106 between which the protective padding 102 is disposed. The inner liner 104 faces the wearer's wrist and forearm and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the inner liner 104 comprises fabric. For instance, in some examples of implementation, the fabric of the inner liner 104 may comprise a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or any other suitable fabric. The inner liner 104 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. The outer cover 106 faces away from the wearer's wrist 13 and forearm 15 and may comprise any suitable material. For example, in this embodiment, the outer cover 106 comprises flexible non-foam polymeric material. For instance, in some cases, the flexible non-foam polymeric material of the outer cover 106 may comprise polyurethane. The outer cover 106 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

In this embodiment, the cuff 100 comprises a plurality of cuff members 108 ₁-108 ₅ movable relative to one another. This may sometimes be referred to as a “split cuff” design. This may provide flexibility and facilitate adjustment of the cuff 100, as further discussed later. The protective padding 102 comprises protective padding 110 ₁ of the cuff member 108 ₁, protective padding 110 ₂ of the cuff member 108 ₂, protective padding 110 ₃ of the cuff member 108 ₃, protective padding 110 ₄ of the cuff member 108 ₄ and protective padding 110 ₅ of the cuff member 108 ₅.

In this embodiment, the glove 10 also comprises a sub-cuff 120 disposed under the cuff 100, attachable to at least one of the wearer's wrist 13 and forearm 15, and movable relative to the cuff 100 when the wearer's wrist 13 is flexed. This may provide additional protection to the wearer's wrist 13 and/or forearm 15 (e.g., if the wearer's wrist 13 is flexed so much that the cuff 100 is moved sufficiently far to expose part of the wearer's wrist 13 and/or forearm 15 that the cuff 110 usually covers).

More particularly, in this embodiment, the sub-cuff 120 comprises a band 122 configured to be wrapped about the wearer's wrist 13 and/or forearm 15. The band 122 has a first longitudinal end 124 and a second longitudinal end 126 that are movable relative to one another to wrap and unwrap the band 122 about the wearer's wrist 13 and/or forearm 15. The sub-cuff 120 comprises a fastener 128 operable to secure the sub-cuff 120 to the wearer's wrist 13 and/or forearm 15. In this example, the fastener 128 comprises fastening elements 129 ₁, 129 ₂ respectively disposed adjacent ones of the longitudinal ends 124, 126 of the band 122. For instance, in this example of implementation, the fastener 128 comprises a hook-and-loop fastener, wherein a hook connector is disposed adjacent the longitudinal end 124 and a loop connector is disposed adjacent the longitudinal end 126. The fastener 128 may be affixed to the band 122 in any suitable way, such as for example stitching, an adhesive, or ultrasonic welding amongst others.

In this embodiment, the band 122 of the sub-cuff 120 comprises protective padding disposed between an inner liner and an outer cover. For example, in some embodiments, these components may include materials such as those respectively described above in respect of the protective padding 102, the inner liner 104 and the outer cover 106 of the cuff 100.

The sub-cuff 120 may be attached to a remainder of the glove 10 in any suitable way. In this embodiment, the sub-cuff 120 is attached to the hand covering 12 by elastic members 130 ₁, 130 ₂ that allow the sub-cuff 120 to move relative to the hand covering 12 when the wearer's wrist bends.

While in this embodiment the glove 10 is a lacrosse glove, in other embodiments, a sports glove constructed using principles described herein in respect of the glove 10 may be another type of sports glove for a player playing another type of contact sport (sometimes referred to as “full-contact sport” or “collision sport”) in which there are significant impact forces on the player due to player-to-player and/or player-to-object contact. For example, in other embodiments, a sports glove constructed using principles described herein in respect of the glove 10 may be a hockey glove for a hockey player playing hockey.

Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation.

Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.

Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims. 

1. A sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising: a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand; a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand; a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand; and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising: a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb; and a protective frame disposed within the cavity and configured to engage the wearer's thumb.
 2. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame is configured to extend at least to a level of a dorsal surface of the wearer's thumb in a thickness direction of the thumb portion when the wearer's thumb is unflexed.
 3. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame is configured to extend across a tip of the wearer's thumb in a thickness direction of the thumb portion.
 4. The sports glove of claim 3, wherein the protective frame is configured to enclose the tip of the wearer's thumb.
 5. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame is configured to wrap around a tip of the wearer's thumb.
 6. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame comprises an upper part configured to be disposed above a tip of the wearer's thumb and a lower part configured to be disposed below the tip of the wearer's thumb.
 7. The sports glove of claim 6, wherein the lower part of the protective frame is configured to contact a palmar surface of the wearer's thumb.
 8. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame is configured to face a dorsal surface of the wearer's thumb and a palmar surface of the wearer's thumb.
 9. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame extends over at least a majority of a dimension of the cavity of the thumb portion in a thickness direction of the thumb portion.
 10. The sports glove of claim 9, wherein the protective frame extends over at least two-thirds of the dimension of the cavity of the thumb portion in the thickness direction of the thumb portion.
 11. The sports glove of claim 10, wherein the protective frame extends over at least three-quarters of the dimension of the cavity of the thumb portion in the thickness direction of the thumb portion.
 12. The sports glove of claim 1, comprising an internal lining for contacting the wearer's hand, the internal lining comprising an opening leading to the cavity of the thumb portion and configured to allow the wearer's thumb to pass through the opening to be received in the cavity of the thumb portion.
 13. (canceled)
 14. (canceled)
 15. The sports glove of claim 12, wherein the internal lining comprises a plurality of layers and the opening extends through the layers of the internal lining.
 16. The sports glove of claim 15, wherein a first one of the layers of the internal lining is a base and a second one of the layers of the internal lining is a liner disposed over the base to contact the wearer's hand.
 17. (canceled)
 18. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein a ratio of (i) a distance between the protective frame and a dorsal surface of the wearer's thumb when the wearer's thumb is received in the cavity of the thumb portion and is unflexed and (ii) a thickness of the thumb portion is no more than 10%.
 19. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the thumb portion further comprises an outer cover disposed over the protective frame.
 20. The sports glove of claim 19, wherein the thumb portion further comprises an inner liner for contacting the wearer's thumb; and the protective frame is disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner.
 21. The sports glove of claim 6, wherein a dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in a longitudinal direction of the thumb portion corresponds to at least 5% of a dimension of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion.
 22. The sports glove of claim 21, wherein the dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion corresponds to at least 10% of the dimension of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion.
 23. (canceled)
 24. The sports glove of claim 6, wherein the protective frame comprises a plurality of sections movable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing; wherein the plurality of sections of the protective frame comprises a first section for overlying a distal phalanx of the wearer's thumb and a second section for overlying a proximal phalanx of the wearer's thumb; and wherein a dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in a longitudinal direction of the thumb portion corresponds to at least 20% of a dimension of the first section of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion.
 25. The sports glove of claim 24, wherein the dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion corresponds to at least 30% of the dimension of the first section of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion.
 26. (canceled)
 27. The sports glove of claim 6, wherein a dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in a longitudinal direction of the thumb portion is at least 5 mm.
 28. The sports glove of claim 27, wherein the dimension of the lower part of the protective frame in the longitudinal direction of the thumb portion is at least 10 mm.
 29. (canceled)
 30. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the protective frame comprises a plurality of sections movable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing.
 31. The sports glove of claim 30, wherein the sections of the protective frame are movable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing and pressing against the protective frame.
 32. The sports glove of claim 30, wherein the sections of the protective frame are pivotally connected to one another.
 33. The sports glove of claim 32, wherein the protective frame comprises a pivot between adjacent ones of the sections of the protective frame and unexposed to the wearer's thumb when the wearer's thumb is received in the cavity of the thumb portion.
 34. The sports glove of claim 33, wherein the pivot comprises a pin configured to extend away from the wearer's thumb.
 35. The sports glove of claim 32, wherein the protective frame comprises a pivot between a first one of the sections of the protective frame and a second one of the sections of the protective frame; and wherein the pivot comprises a pin integrally formed with the first one of the sections of the protective frame.
 36. The sports glove of claim 35, wherein the pin is molded with the first one of the sections of the protective frame.
 37. (canceled)
 38. The sports glove of claim 30, wherein the plurality of sections of the protective frame comprises at least three sections.
 39. The sports glove of claim 38, wherein the plurality of sections of the protective frame comprises a first section for overlying a distal phalanx of the wearer's thumb, a second section for overlying a proximal phalanx of the wearer's thumb, and a third section for overlying a metacarpal section of the wearer's hand.
 40. The sports glove of claim 30, wherein the protective frame comprises a stopper to restrict movement of the sections of the protective frame relative to another to protect against hyperextension of the wearer's thumb.
 41. (canceled)
 42. (canceled)
 43. (canceled)
 44. (canceled)
 45. (canceled)
 46. (canceled)
 47. (canceled)
 48. (canceled)
 49. (canceled)
 50. (canceled)
 51. (canceled)
 52. (canceled)
 53. (canceled)
 54. (canceled)
 55. (canceled)
 56. (canceled)
 57. (canceled)
 58. The sports glove of claim 30, wherein the thumb portion comprises an outer cover disposed over the protective frame and comprising an elastic material overlying a junction between adjacent ones of the sections of the protective frame.
 59. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the back portion comprises padding and each of the finger portions comprises padding.
 60. The sports glove of claim 59, wherein the padding of the back portion comprises foam and the padding of each of the finger portions comprises foam.
 61. The sports glove of claim 1, comprising: a hand covering comprising the palm portion, the back portion, the finger portions, and the thumb portion; and a cuff for overlying a wrist of the wearer, the cuff comprising padding.
 62. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the sports glove is a lacrosse glove.
 63. The sports glove of claim 62, wherein the lacrosse glove is a lacrosse goalie glove.
 64. The sports glove of claim 1, wherein the sports glove is a hockey glove.
 65. A sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising: a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand; a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand; a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand; and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising: a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb; and a protective frame disposed within the cavity; wherein the sports glove further comprises an internal lining for contacting the wearer's hand, the internal lining comprising an opening leading to the cavity of the thumb portion and configured to allow the wearer's thumb to pass in the opening to be received in the cavity.
 66. A sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising: a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand; a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand; a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand; and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising: a cavity to receive the wearer's thumb; and a protective frame disposed within the cavity and comprising: a plurality of sections pivotable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing; and a pivot between adjacent ones of the sections of the protective frame and unexposed to the wearer's thumb when the wearer's thumb is received in the cavity of the thumb portion.
 67. A sports glove for protecting a hand of a wearer, the sports glove comprising: a palm portion for overlying a palm of the wearer's hand; a back portion for protecting a back of the wearer's hand; a plurality of finger portions for protecting fingers of the wearer's hand; and a thumb portion for protecting a thumb of the wearer's hand, the thumb portion comprising: a protective frame comprising: a plurality of sections pivotable relative to one another in response to the wearer's thumb flexing; and a pivot between a first one of the sections of the protective frame and a second one of the sections of the protective frame, the pivot comprising a pin integrally formed with the first one of the sections of the protective frame. 